Context

The National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) has written to the Chief Wildlife Warden of Karnataka to furnish a status report on an illegal resort in Anmod village in the Castle Rock Wildlife Range of the Kali Tiger Reserve (KTR).

About Kali Tiger Reserve

• Location:
  • Kali Tiger Reserve, earlier known as Dandeli-Anshi Tiger Reserve is located in Uttara Kannada District of Karnataka State. 
  • This belt of Uttara Kannada district is a part of the Western Ghats.
• The Tiger Reserve comprises of two important protected areas of the region viz., Dandeli Wildlife Sanctuary and Anshi National Park.
• Dandeli Wildlife Sanctuary (475.018 sq km) and Anshi National Park (339.866 sq km) are contiguous to each other and form a single tract of protected area located in biologically sensitive Western Ghats.
• River: Kali River, which forms the major source of water for Uttara Kannada, flows through the tiger reserve and hence the name.
• Vegetation: Forests  are primarily moist deciduous and semi-evergreen, with excellent patches of evergreen forests in the westernmost parts as well as in deep valleys.

History

• The forest in the area was declared the Dandeli Wildlife Sanctuary on 10 May 1956.
• The state proposed carving out a section of the sanctuary to form the Anshi national park, which was implemented on 2 September 1987.
• It was renamed to Kali Tiger Reserve in December 2015.
• The park is home to several hydroelectric dams and a nuclear power station.

Flora

The World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) deems both the ecoregions of North Western Ghats montane rain forests and North Western Ghats moist deciduous forests, in which the park is located, as endangered. The forests have high biodiversity.

Some common trees and plants here include: bintangur, Calophyllum wightianum, Malabar tamarind, Garcinia morella, Knema attenuata, Hopea wightiana, Tetrameles nudiflora, blackboard tree, Flacourtia montana, Machilus macrantha, Carallia brachiata, aini-maram, Artocarpus lacucha, true cinnamon, bamboo, bauhinia, eucalyptus, lantana, silver oak, teak and jamba.

Fauna

The park is home to black panthers, elephants, and tigers, but they are rarely seen. Other large mammals here are Indian bison, sloth bear, Indian wild boar, bonnet macaque, northern plains grey langur, grey slender loris, several deer including: barking deer (muntjac), mouse deer (chevrotain), sambar deer and spotted deer (chital or axis deer). Wild dog, jackal, jungle cat, leopard cat, small Indian civet, Indian grey mongoose, flying squirrel, porcupine, Malabar civet, Indian giant squirrel and pangolin also make their home in the forests here.

Reptiles in the park include the king cobra, spectacled cobra, Russell’s viper, saw-scaled viper, common krait, Indian rock python, rat snake, vine snake, green or bamboo pit viper and monitor lizards.

Interesting birds include the Ceylon frogmouth, great hornbill, Malabar pied hornbill, Malabar grey hornbill, Indian grey hornbill and Asian fairy bluebird. Researchers have recorded around 200 species of birds in the park. These include the distinctive adjutant stork, ashy woodswallow, black-crested bulbul, blue-headed pitta, brahminy kite, broad-billed roller, crested serpent eagle, great hornbill, golden-backed woodpecker, Malabar pied hornbill, Sri Lanka frogmouth and yellow-footed green pigeon.

Previous Year Questions

Question 1: In 2020, which of the Tiger Reserves boasts the most extensive “Critical Tiger Habitat” area?

1. Corbett
2. Nagarjunsagar-Srisailam
3. Ranthambore
4. Sundarbans

Question 2: The term ‘M-STRIPES’ is sometimes seen in the news in the context of …

1. Maintenance of Tiger Reservoirs
2. Indigenous Satellite Navigation System
3. Captive breeding of Wild Fauna
4. Security of National Highways

FAQs about Kali Tiger Reserve:

Read also:- Valmiki Tiger Reserve